How to Say ‘How old are you?’ in Japanese
おいくつですか。
o iku tsu desu ka
[o ee-KOO tsoo dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: おいくつ is the polite way to ask age. The plainer 何歳 (nansai) is fine with kids or close friends.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
Prefix added for politeness.
お名前は？
What is your name?
いく
iku
[ee-KOO]
how many (part of ikutsu)
First part of ikutsu 'how many / how old'; not the verb 'go'.
りんごはいくつありますか。
How many apples are there?
つ
tsu
[tsoo]
counter
A counter for general objects in Japanese.
卵を一つください。
Please give me one egg.
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite sentence ending used in formal conversation.
少し伺いたいです。
I would like to ask a little.
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Placed at the end of a sentence to make it a question.
A席はありますか。
Are there A seats available?
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